


Lighthouse in the Woods

by RedOrchid



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e12 Malec, F/F, Kissing, New Beginnings, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:38:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9804830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedOrchid/pseuds/RedOrchid
Summary: Magnus is late to stop the wedding; it still doesn’t happen as planned.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thisissirius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/gifts).



> An extra gift because gift exchanges are awesome. Happy belated Chocolate Box Day! :)

_ It’s time for Alec Lightwood and Lydia Branwell to mark each other with the Wedded Union rune. A rune on the hand, a rune on the heart; a union is born. _

Lydia picks up the stele offered to her, taking care not to look into Isabelle’s eyes for too long. The corners of Izzy’s mouth are turned up in something that probably looks at least somewhat like a smile from a distance, but the rest of her face is carefully neutral, but her eyes... 

Izzy’s eyes are all sadness and resignation. Lydia isn’t sure which emotion is worse, and she’d be lying if she said that seeing Alec’s sister so genuinely upset about their marriage didn’t make her second-guess herself.

Still, she’s thought it through, weighed her options, and decided that this marriage is still the best course of action. Alec’s clearly made the same decision, given the small nod he gives her as she puts the point of the stele to his wrist. They both know this is a business arrangement with a pretty veneer on top; they’ll both be okay.

The moment before the stele makes contact with Alec’s skin feels suspended in time, like everyone in the room is holding their breath, half-expecting something to happen to interrupt the ceremony.

Nothing does, and as the stele starts burning the rune into Alec’s wrist, the only thing Lydia hears is the rush of blood in her own ears and Izzy’s too-sharp intakes of breath behind her.

Alec takes the stele next, drawing the rune on Lydia’s wrist with detached efficiency. Lydia smiles through the pain and keeps her eyes focused on the runes, waiting for them to activate. 

Seconds pass, and nothing happens. Lydia looks up at Alec, who's frowning down at their hands, and then at Brother Jeremiah who's tilting his head to the side, looking curious.

“What’s going on?” she asks him quietly. “Why isn't it activating?”

_ Something is blocking the rune’s magic, _ Brother Jeremiah replies, reaching out with his staff and circling it over their joined hands.  _ Hmm. That is unexpected. _

“What is?” Jace asks, both him and Izzy stepping closer to them. “Is something wrong with the rune?”

_ There's a soulbond blocking the path, _ Jeremiah says, and Lydia watches Alec’s face go white. His eyes dart to Jace, then to Izzy, then over to his parents seated in the first row. There’s fear in his eyes, as well as a hint of…  _ guilt _ , which makes Lydia feel suddenly cold. Like she told Clary the night before, she already knew Alec wasn’t exactly… emotionally unattached. But a soulbond is different—not to mention incredibly  _ rare _ —and the mere idea of getting in between Alec and the person he’s been, quite literally, celestially destined for makes a sick feeling turn her stomach.

And then, right on cue, a door slams, and Magnus Bane strides into the room.

***

Everything changes. As soon as Alec sees Magnus stand at the other end of the aisle, Lydia knows the agreement they had is null and void, and that her dream of running an Institute is over. Again.

She’s not prepared for the wave of relief that comes with the crushing disappointment, but she clings to it as she watches Alec hurry down the aisle, grab the lapels of Magnus’ jacket and kiss him deeply in front of the entire room.

As statements go, it packs quite a punch. Lydia is almost expecting their soulbond to activate then and there, for light to start swirling around the two of them the way she’s seen depicted in paintings and books. She looks down at her wrist, wondering how long it will take the wedding rune to fade completely, and can’t help but frown when the black lines stare back at her, still perfectly clear.

_ Your rune will begin to fade as your soulmate first touches your skin _ , Brother Jeremiah tells her, as though he’s able to see right through Lydia’s head and into her thoughts.

Lydia nods and then freezes, as the words catch up with her.

“Wait.  _ My _ soulmate?”

_ Yes. The block glows strongly over your skin. They may be closer than you think. _

Lydia closes her eyes, feeling suddenly faint. Jeremiah’s words seep through her skin into her chest, settling there as a throbbing ache. 

“Hey, you alright?”

Jace’s hand is warm and careful on her arm, and Lydia feels hysterical laughter bubble up her throat as she looks down, then breathes a sigh of relief when the touch does nothing to the rune on her wrist.

She looks up at Jace, manages a small smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“Look, what you just did for Alec…”

Lydia sighs, turning her head to watch Alec and Magnus still fully wrapped up in each other, even as the delegation from the Clave not-so-subtly starts to leave. “It was the right thing to do. Give Alec and Magnus my best. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

She steps down from the podium and walks quickly through the nearest exit, heading back to her room.

***

She’s changed out of her wedding dress and into more practical clothes when there’s a knock on her door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Izzy,” a voice comes from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?”

Lydia sighs but walks over to open the door. “I’m tired, Isabelle. What do you need?”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Izzy replies. “I know you and I haven’t exactly seen eye to eye, and I’m still furious at you for putting Meliorn’s life at risk the way you did. But then you said that stuff during my trial, and now you do  _ this _ , and let Alec go be happy like it’s nothing, and I—” 

She tilts her head, looking pensive. “I guess I can’t quite get a read on you. It’s both intriguing and frustrating.”

Lydia opens her mouth to argue that both Melorn’s interrogation and Izzy’s arrest were just about following Clave policy, but then she hesitates and looks away instead. 

If Lydia’s honest, she’s not quite sure what to make of herself either, at the moment. Being at the New York institute has muddled the waters, the reality of being out in the field infinitely more complex than the clear-cut power structures in Idris.

And she’s tired. So, so tired.

“I’m sorry about Meliorn,” she says, after a long moment of silence. “I thought I was doing what had to be done, but it was the wrong call. I’m glad he made it out.”

“I’m not the one you should apologise to,” Izzy replies. “But I appreciate it all the same. Seeing my big brother finally go for something that could truly make him happy has put me in a very forgiving mood. So. Start over?”

“Sure,” Lydia replies, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she holds out her hand. “Lydia Branwell. Nice to meet you.”

“Isabelle Lightwood,” Izzy says, accepting the handshake. “Nice to meet you t—”

The books describe it as a tug in your heart, a pull forward, towards your soulmate. For Lydia, it’s more of a soft click—a lost piece that slots into place and then expands outward, a sense of pure joy spreading into every limb.

She looks down at her wrist, and gasps as the rune there flickers and fades. It’s gone in a matter of seconds, and Lydia feels her heart beat unnaturally fast as she keeps staring at the unmarked skin, which is starting to take on a bright, golden glow.

“Oh my God,” Izzy whispers, as the light builds around their hands. “Is that—?”

Lydia nods, her mouth suddenly too dry to form words. The light spreads up their arms and then starts to curve, wrapping them up in golden, humming heat as their eyes are drawn back to each other.

For all the soulbond’s inherent drama, the magic takes its time to build, almost like it’s waiting for something more—something to give it an extra push. Lydia sees Izzy’s gaze drop down to her lips, and her own heart beats impossibly fast as the energy surrounding them grows to a peak. 

They sway closer and closer together until there’s no more distance left to be bridged. Izzy’s lips open over hers, and Lydia only hesitates for a split second before she meets her halfway, surrendering to the wave of sensation as they both melt into each other. Izzy makes a small, half-choked sound in the back of her throat, and her hands land on Lydia’s hips, pulling her in until they’re flush together. Lydia wraps her arms around Izzy’s neck in response, holding on tight as the building connection sends her senses reeling.

Somehow, they make it into the room and manage to close the door behind them. Izzy slumps back against it as soon as the lock clicks and pulls Lydia back to her for another kiss.

Kissing Izzy is strange and unfamiliar, and at the same time completely electric and impossibly wonderful. Lydia hasn’t kissed anyone in a long while, but even her best memories grow a little faded at the edges as the reality of Isabelle Lightwood blazes through her heart and mind.

Izzy pulls back a fraction, leaning her forehead against Lydia’s, and her voice is shaky and overwhelmed as she speaks. “What do we do?”

Lydia has no idea, but the way her stomach swoops when Izzy leans back in for another kiss makes her think she’ll quite like finding out. She runs her hands down the length of Izzy’s back, loving the way Izzy’s long hair feels against the back of her fingers.

Not even an hour ago, she was standing at the altar, ready to marry a man she barely knew. And now  _ Alec’s sister _ is turning out to be her soulmate. Lydia can’t help but smile into the next kiss, marvelling at the crazy twists and turns that have been her life, lately.

When they finally break apart for air, her lips feel raw and swollen. She drops her head and hides her face against Izzy’s neck, breathing in the scent of her skin and hair as she tries to put herself back together.

She can hear the rhythm of Izzy’s heart. Or no, she can actually  _ feel _ it—like a mirror image next to her own, as their souls find their spaces next to each other. 

The feeling is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying.

Lydia hugs Izzy closer and longs for more of it.


End file.
